Pilot brake for motor vehicles



Aug- 7, 1951 G. H. KELLOGG 2563339 PILOT BRAKE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Sept. 28, 1949 4/ INVENTOR.

GEORGE H. KELLQgg U Arrow/Er P'aientee i Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 4 claiins. (ol. 74-486) My invention relates to a pilot brake for motor vehicles and its objects are to furnish a better and more rapid means, manually exerted on the steering Wheel of an automobile for applying the brakes thereof; to allow such manual means to be exerted in connection with, or independently of, the conventional foot brake; to provide a brake applying means immediately accessible to the hands of the operatr Without requiring the change of his foot from the accelerator to the foot brake and the loss of time occasioned thereby; to afford the operator of a motor vehicle a steering and braking means centrally7 controlled and disposed for instant action and manually governed for stopping or slowng down such vehicle as occasion requires; to allow the usual Operation of the vehicle without interference to the normal Conventional application of the foot brake; to furnish a means, when a motor vehicle stops or is compelled to come to a stop on an upgrade upon a road, for the driver manually to apply the brakes through the steering Wheel while one hand is resting thereon, and While the other hand and both feet are free to accelerate the engine and to shift the clutch, thereby bringing about a hill-hold through the exercise of the pilot brake; to guard against disassembling or non adjusting of the parts and possible dragging of brakes; to render the parts accessible for inspection, adjustment, replacement, restoration, or repair, and generally to provide a pilot brake Which is simple and economical of construction, eflicient in action and of prolonged life and durability. My invention further consists of other novel features of construction, and combinations and arrangements of parts and elements illustrated in the drawing, and hereinafter morev specifically described and claimed.

I am aware that in the prior art there are disclosed stopping devices located upon or adjacent to the steering Wheel of an automobile for automatically causing the application of the brake, should the operatr become incapacitated and his hands involuntarily slip from said Wheel; but prior to my invention so far as I am informed, there were in existence no practicable pilot bra-ke devices associated with the steering Wheel for the immediate manual application of the brake, irrespective of, or in cooperation With, the foot pedal. In this general aspect, my invention is the result of considerable study of the problem of how to permit the driver of a motor vehicle immediately to apply the brake through manual means exerted through the steering Wheel, and to furnish a means, when a motor vehicle steps or oompelled to stop on an upgrade road, to leave his feet free to operate the clutch pedal and accelerator pedal when occasion requires both of these pedals to be operated at the same time and still to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwardly down hill, and utilize the time-lost period caused by the lapse of time required by such driver in taking his foot off the accelerator, and

applying said foot to the brake pedal; and I believe myself to be the first person in the' art to effect a satisfactory solution of this problem through the construction and Operation of the embodiment of my invention hereinafter set forth.

Attention is hereby directed to the accompanying dravving, illustrating a preferred form of my invention, in Which simlar numerals of designation refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in Which- Figure l is a side elevaticn partly in section of a steering post, steering Wheel, push sleeve, push rod and adjacent parts embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of the view shown in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of' the vieW shown in Fig. l just above the hub of the steering Wheel, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevaticn in reduced scale of the device shown in Fig. 1 illustrating more particularly the operative connections With the conventional foot pedal lever for operating the master cylinder of the usual fluid braking system.'

Referring to the drawing, the braking apparatus there illustrated generally comprises the motor vehicle steering Wheel 5, cylindrical steering post 6, sliding hub IO, push sleeve member 1 and connections thereof with said Wheel, push rod 8, pedal lever 3, and cooperative parts.

rFhe steering Wheel 5, is provided With the hub lil, from which radially extends the arms li, the ends of which are flrmly afiixed to, or form an integral part of, the rounded rim 511, shaped for ready and convenient Operation by the hands of the driver. Depressed within the hub lil, and equally spaced apart are the three Wells or pockets [2, within Which are respectively seated and secured the three female spring clips 13, shaped and positioned respectively to receive and to make detachable engagement Withthe rounded heads of the oorrespondingly spaced three male pins 14, the shanks of Which are embedded within and secured to the bottom poraseasso tion of the collar l;- the Wheel 5, being thereby made manually detachable from the collar |5,

upon the requisite doWnward pressure being applied thereto. Ordinarily the pressure of the hands of the driver resting upon the Wheel in the usual operation of the vehicle Will be insufiicient to overcorne the tension of the grip of the spring clips |3 upon the heads of the pins M,

so that considerable downward pressure manually applied will-beL-.requiredato effect. such detachment. Preferably, the spring clips employed by me are constructed to withstand a pressure of not exceeding twenty pounds before re1eas-.

ing said pins; and if desired, a conventional elec:, trical warning buzzer signal observable by thel driver readily could be associated.: With:-these`v separable parts to indicate when such pressure isx exceeded. As shown, the collar I 5; is threaded to engage With the top of the steering post;- ;6, and.

atop said collar l5 is the nyt l'l, also in threaded engagementwith. said postli; the. saidflnut v.being normally.y in 'closeI contact With. the .bottom .of the; hollowhorn buttonl..

HIn'- .order to l secure.. with. removably, accurate... f `.ing thefs'aid .button to.. the. top. of the, steering., ost,-"I,-preferably. provide said-button. with thefdownwardly-extendingcircular .extension AI 9,

thelower.- end of. which. is forined .with the.. an-

nulaiwchannelflo, shapeddetachablyto engage.

' Withfthegbead],.formedlin the Wall offsaidpost.

Tpftheperipheryof.. saidhorn button, is secured the .Asusualhofrn ring 22,. with Conventional.` con-` nectionsfor soundingthesamelnot shown), and preferably the hollo'wv of said button is fi1led;or padded;-wi th...a.mass ofrubber-like materialr 23, to.7 form V.a resilient jbuife'r .tod'educe or. break the impact of the, body of-v-thefdijiverIor any part thereoff-With-thesaid Wheel-orpost topend oce casioned by a collision or ...by,the .sudden stopping off the 3car for; yany-other reason;

within-:the top portion-of-the cylindrical .post E, and closelygfittingthewall thereof and firmly aiflxed thereto by rivets 24, is the lining 25,,` the.. shanks. of which rivets -extending through both saidglinirig and said wall through openings..p'ro-l vided therefor are rmly secured to-` the.three keys, 23; infl'close. contact With.,.the-outerffacepf saidi-vvall,` equally; spaced apart andextendi'ng longitudinally inyrespect tosaidipost. Positionedl and shaped to make sliding contact rWith said keys arethe three Vkeywways 21, -forrned in-.the wall insidegofhub Vl 0,-and-permittingfizthe Wheel 5, uponV downwardf pressure.Y thereofto; release spring clip attachment to the-collar; l5, and to be. slid downWardly-for; the purpose presently to bedescribed.

Weldedtto the bottomof the hub 13, and encasingzthe 1post'6; isthepushsleevel, the-Wall of whichfequally spacedr from the Wall vof saidi post forms the; cylindricall chamber29,- andthelower end of which sleeve is welded to the foot ring 30, in sliding engagement with said post. Within said'rchamber. and; separated from the wall of saidsleeveis the stop ring 3l Weldedto theiwall of--post-E,l leaving normally a substantial spacebetween lsaid stop ringt and-the sliding-foot ring,- andzresting upon thetv1-ingf3'l, within said. chamber-29, encompassing the post 6,- andextendingwto and,4 co'ntacting the bottom of hub. Ill, is the helical compressionspring132.

Formedwinhin theomier side of the foot lring 30, is an annular recess providing the raceway 2 8,'- adaptedand positioned: to,` make. contact with the ballbearing 3.4-, mountediwithin the swagecap attheaupper enda33fiof` the push. rodfl.:

49 of. said .driver were. pressed down. upon thelpedal i Preferably, in order to provide longitudinal adjustment thereof, the rod 8 is made in two sections connected by the sleeve coupling 36, the upper section carrying the swagecap 35, and the lower section being mounted to slide longitudinally within the bearing 31 afiixed to the conventional casing 38, serving as a socket for the post 6, and extending through lthe dash board 39 of the car. The lower end portion of said lower section of the pushnrod 8 al so extends, with ample clearance, Vthrough the..`op`ening. 4!!4 provided therefor in said dash board, and is bent downwardly to form the loop 4l in sliding engagementswithsthePILbearing 42 mounted upon the lever 9 :of 'theconventional foot pedal 43; Which 1eve r,.,9,is ardpied to be connected in any mannervw'ell known in the art With the Conventional master cylinder bi'aking system of an automobile, exeptjfoig, its linkage With the push rod 8 as above described. Preferably, the stop ring 3l is.v` solocated Iasnto .control the downward throw of'thesteering Wheeland associated partsto sub;-H stantially the..extent requir'e'd forthe application v of` thebrale, such throW, not exceeding ordinarily."

a stroke. of Vtwo and .one-half. nches.

To oper'ate .my I improved pilot brake,A should occasionl ari'se,-. the-action required by the driver. ismanually to exertsufiicientdownward pressure or impulsauponkthe .steering .Wheel tofldetachV the,I

, connectionof .thespringclips 3 from the .grip of the pins. M,` therebyl releasing.` thebhub. of said. Wheel, from., its.V engagement.. with. .the collar .v [5 afiixedtoithe top of .thelst'ering post, and there;

upon, through continuance of saidpressure caus-` ing. the push sleeve 1 .together with the .push rod..

iifand`l hub Its to bev slid ldownwardly, and.. throughtheconnection of said .push rod .with the' pedal .lever 9,-. to bring.Gaboutthe.application,of; the. brake-in theosame manner as. if. lthe.ff0otfl 433. While the brake is so applied, an' importantl result-is thatthe feet of. the driver are.leftfreef for .actionasaforesaid foroperation of the acfi celeratorH and for the., ShiftingY of the. .clutch for.. Whenthe Adownward. manual pressure; upon the steering- Wheel is released; the spring. clips. l3yandpinsI H. may. be. again I snapped-.togetherjandconnected and the parts, will beeallowedto be restored to. their nor'rmaill.` relative; positionandf relatonship, such restorae.l tionbeing.:ordinarily'accomplished by the expan-fsion of spring 32 aidedV by the return actionof the customaryV f pedal retracting. spring.

Itaccordinglyxfollows that. as a driver becomes more and'moreifamiliarWith;the Operation and; performanceof. my pilot brake, he Will readilyacquire -the .habit of using4 such; device .to the ex -f clusion of the foot brake With greatsaving of time. and. irnproved= efiiciencyof Operation.. This. is particularly. true relative tothe .use of my. device f in respect to `fluiddriven vehicles, With .thefurther advantagefthat-the push rod 8.,may, asis` obvious, be4` connected With theselector lever.in-.. stead of the foot brake` lever; inwhichcase, the.,- rear. driving. wheels operating. -in reverser supply, in timeofemergency, aJ most eificient meansof' stoppingdthe vehicle, i

In order-that the.steeringfwhelmav if desired,l be `securedagainst longitudinalsliding, engagefil mentfwith-:the ,steering post, I .preferably provide. the.:loeliineimeansshown: in. Fig. 1, comprislnzu.

thegtabor,` tongueV M, whosegupper endportion, 1s.firn 1ly seured-;to,;the Wall of the collar. 15, and-. whose lower endzportionflhasgan Opening through i Which extends iongitudinally mappene-Sliema;

aseasso' 45, shaped to effect Wedging engagement With a socket to receive the same in the wall of the hub.

My invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment, as above set forth is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of my invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes Which may come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pilot brake steering Wheel assembly for motor vehicles, comprising a steering post, a steering Wheel having a hub and being slidably mounted upon said post and turning therewith, spring clip means for manually connecting and detaching the hub of said Wheel from the upper part of said post, compression spring meansengaging with said hub and mounted upon said post so as to restore automatically the connection of said hub and post after detachment; and a sliding thrust rod connected with said hub and longitudinally pushed thereby and operatively connected to the brake member of the vehicle so that the said member may be operated independently of the foot of the driver, leaving his feet free to shift the clutch and accelerator of said vehicle.

2. A pilot brake steering Wheel assembly for motor vehicles, comprising a steering post, a steering Wheel having a hub and being slidably mounted upon said post and turning therewith, spring actuated means for manually connecting and detaching the hub of said Wheel from the upper part of said post, a push sleeve encompassing said post below said hub and connected thereto and both turning and moving longitudinally therewith, a helical compression spring mounted upon said post within said sleeve so as to restore automatically the connection of said hub and post after manual detachment; and a sliding thrust rod Contacting With the end of said sleeve and longitudinally pushed thereby and operatively connected to the brake member of the vehicle so that the said member may be operated independently of the foot of the driver, leaving his feet free to shift the clutch and accelerator of said vehicle.

3. A pilot brake steering Wheel assembly for motor vehicles, comprising a steering post; a steering Wheel having a hub and being slidably mounted upon said post and turning therewith; spring actuated means for manually Connecting and detaching the hub of said Wheel from the upper part of said post; a push sleeve encompassing said post below said hub and connected thereto and both turning and moving longitudinally therewith, the lower end of said sleeve being secured to a foot ring With raceWay on the under side thereof; a helical compression spring mounted upon said post within said sleeve so as to restore automatically said connection of said hub and post after detachment; and a sliding push rod Whose upper end is provided With a ball bearing positioned to make circular moving contact With said raceway, and longitudinally to be pushed downwardly by said sleeve; said rod being operatively connected to the brake member of the vehicle so that the said member may be operated independently of the foot of the driver, leaving his feet free to shift the clutch 'and accelerator of said Vehicle.

4. A pilot steering Wheel assembly for motor vehicles having a fiuid drive, comprising a steering post; a steering Wheel having a hub and being slidably mounted upon said post and turning therewith; spring actuated means for manually Connecting and detaching the hub of said Wheel from the upper part of said post; a push sleeve encompassing said post below said hub and connected thereto and both turning and moving longitudinally therewith, the lower end of said sleeve being secured to a foot ring With raceway on the underside thereof; a helical compression spring mounted upon said post within said sleeve so as to restore automatically said connection of said hub and post after detachment; and a sliding push rod Whose upper end is provided With a ball bearing positioned to make circular moving contact with said raceway, and longitudinally to be pushed downwardly by said sleeve; said rod being operatively connected to the brake member of the vehicle so that said member may be operated independently of the foot of the driver, leaving the foot free to operate the accelerator pedal when required.

GEORGE I-I. KELLOGG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS I Name Date 

